Anime Collector: Starting With the Malevolent Shrine

Buzz!

Space rippled with waves.

Bright sunlight streamed down onto the earth.

The dazzling light forced Yotsuba to shut her eyes after being suddenly transported. When her vision cleared, she found herself sitting in a coffee shop.

An elegant shop owner placed two cups gently on the table. Through the window, Yotsuba saw an unfamiliar street scene.

"Daiki-kun, where are we?"

"Italy."

"?!" Yotsuba's eyes widened.

She thought her ears were playing tricks on her, but the street scene confirmed it wasn't a lie.

'We've teleported straight to Italy. Is this the Sorcerer ability Daiki-kun mentioned?'

The pleasant memories of tutoring had made her forget the bloodshed at Soubu High.

Only now did Yotsuba remember that Kuchiki Tsukasa was no ordinary person. He could teleport to Italy with just a snap of his fingers.

Most unsettling was how oblivious everyone around them seemed. She had barely opened her eyes when the shop owner brought their coffee.

Had she missed something in between?

She lifted her coffee in a daze, sipping it under the bright sunlight.

"What did you want to discuss with me earlier?"

In the window's reflection, Yotsuba saw Miku's face staring back at her, though she was supposed to be impersonating Nino.

From Nino's perspective, she would force him to choose between them, making him give up one sister. If Daiki chose Miku, then she would...

Wait!

Yotsuba realized a critical flaw.

She was only pretending to be Nino — she wasn't actually her sister. The moment they spoke to each other, her plan would crumble. Plus, they were missing a person in this scenario.

Since she was here alone pretending to be Nino, Daiki would naturally choose her and try to manage her feelings. If she pushed too hard, she'd damage her sister's reputation, and even if Miku won, Nino would never forgive it.

Now Yotsuba understood what Itsuki had meant earlier.

This plan... was just too stupid.

Given Nino and Miku's strong personalities, neither would back down easily. One wrong move could shatter their relationships.

Should she confess now? Tell him everything?

Yotsuba quietly raised her eyes as golden sunlight caressed her cheeks.

"Maybe... let's forget about it?"

A direct confession might only complicate things further.

If Daiki were truly a playboy, wouldn't he have anticipated this?

Though unlikely, she couldn't take that chance!

Besides, this was her opportunity to understand his appeal — to see why Nino and Miku had fallen for him.

Yotsuba hugged her coffee cup, desperately searching for reasons not to confess.

She told herself it was for Nino and the others' happiness, but truthfully, her own heart had skipped a beat when she'd glimpsed that handsome youth in the sunlight.

'Well... his looks are certainly acceptable. Now I see why Nino likes Daiki-kun.'

As the renowned beauty among the quintuplets, it made sense that Nino would be drawn to Daiki's perfect features.

'Come to think of it... why did I always ignore this before?'

Though she'd never paid much attention previously, now that she focused, Daiki's striking appearance was impossible to ignore.

After spending so much time together, it was as if she'd suddenly pierced through a veil, seeing something wasn't quite right.

Yotsuba suddenly stood up, leaning close to examine his face, "Daiki-kun, are you using Sorcery to hide your true appearance?"

The mysterious aura forged by the Spirit Devouring Talent and the enhanced life level from the Yin-Yang Primordial Technique made Yotsuba see him with new eyes.

"Hmm?" Daiki pondered for a moment, "Perhaps it's because I deliberately suppress it — otherwise, my aura would be too conspicuous."

Yotsuba leaned in to sniff his neck, encountering an indescribable fragrance, his skin gleaming like white jade.

'This... could this be his natural scent? No, why would a man have something like this? And Daiki-kun's skin is impossibly perfect.'

The faint natural fragrance lingered as her nose accidentally brushed against his skin, making her body tremble slightly.

A tingling electric sensation reached her heart, making her usually strong body feel weak as an alluring blush rose to her cheeks.

Noticing something was wrong, Yotsuba quickly sat back down with reddened cheeks, finally understanding the meaning of what Daiki had said earlier.

This wasn't just about being eye-catching anymore — how was this any different from an incubus?

He could probably attract beautiful women with just a crook of his finger. With such supernatural looks and charm, it was truly remarkable that he could settle down and date Miku.

The only problem was that he was too much of a playboy.

"What about your question?" Daiki calmly held his coffee, quietly gazing at Yotsuba.

His deep eyes were like an abyss, seeming to devour one's soul — a side effect of his soul being enhanced by the Spirit Devouring Talent.

"...I wanted to say...Does Daiki-kun really like me?"

Her expression was hesitant; she knew why Nino liked him, but did he actually like Nino?

"Let's go see."

Instead of answering directly, Daiki took her hand and activated the Spatial Transference technique again, teleporting around the world.

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At first, Yotsuba felt bewildered, but their teleportation journey took them to fascinating places — she swam with movie sharks and plucked fresh oranges from sunny groves.

They ventured into untamed tropical rainforests, discovering exotic plants with countless shapes and forms that dazzled the eyes.

They leaped from cliff edges, soaring through the air before teleporting to their next destination.

Though only hours passed, it felt like a lifetime of adventures. Their final stop was an endless desert.

In the sunset's golden glow, they watched camels trek across the sand dunes, their footprints weaving life's rhythm into the barren landscape.

"Camels, Daiki-kun, camels!" Yotsuba twirled with excitement, pointing at the distant creatures.

Seeing camels in their natural habitat was far more thrilling than viewing them at the zoo. Daiki raised his hand, using his powers to shield them from the desert heat as they sat together, watching the camels fade into the golden horizon.

In this peaceful moment, Yotsuba felt a twinge of envy toward Nino — Daiki would take her on such incredible journeys around the world.

But... I'm not Nino.

"Is it love?" She whispered.

"I love all of you!"

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As the words fell, Yotsuba landed directly in her own room.

Not yet recovered from the beauty of the desert sunset, she screamed in her heart, "Daiki-kun's answer was too flirtatious!"

Love all!

Doesn't that mean he loves both Nino and Miku? Maybe even Ichika was included in that statement.

Yotsuba unhappily puffed up her cheeks, feeling strangely empty inside. Only when she opened the curtains did she notice the sky showing hints of dawn.

She removed Miku's clothes, placed the headphones in the wardrobe, and took out her floral ribbon, returning to her original Yotsuba appearance.

Walking casually out of the bedroom, she instinctively glanced at the bedroom next door, hesitated for a moment without disturbing it, and headed to the refrigerator instead.

In the living room, Nino, Ichika, and Itsuki were sleeping in a messy tangle on the cold floor, covered by a thick blanket.

She opened the fridge and took out a can of carbonated juice, just as Nino opened her eyes, likely having noticed her movement.

"Nino, want some carbonated juice?"

"Yotsuba! When did you get back?" Still not fully awake, Nino's eyes widened at the sight of her missing sister.

She and Daiki had been out of contact for an entire night — they might even have had a child by now.

"Huh? Just got back! Came downstairs and saw you all sleeping in the living room."

Examining Yotsuba carefully, she found no concerning traces.

Her straightforward demeanor didn't look at all like someone who had done something behind Miku and the others' backs — after all, Yotsuba wasn't good at lying.

Seeing that nothing had happened as she'd imagined, Nino lay back down and asked weakly, "Where did you go so late at night?"

She was somewhat worried about the Jujutsu Headquarters' matter, but their return meant there wasn't a major problem.

"Went for a walk because of some doubts, swung on swings along the way, picked oranges, touched sharks, and later got to see camels in the desert too."

Yotsuba's expression was somewhat flat as she spoke, feeling these words sounded strange coming from her mouth, though she had genuinely enjoyed this leisurely adventure.

If it hadn't "Nino", but been she as herself instead who had spent last night with Daiki... then...

Impossible... there was no such possibility. She was just a fool who only knew how to run and exercise — not as stylish as Nino, not as mature as Ichika, and not as bold as Miku.

How could she entertain such unrealistic thoughts?

"Huh? See camels in the desert? Why go all the way there when you can see them at the zoo? Besides, what's so interesting about camels?" Not understanding, Nino wrapped herself tighter in the blanket.

She really couldn't understand why her sister had liked such aesthetically challenged animals since childhood.

"That's true... Nino doesn't like looking at cam—" Yotsuba's face suddenly froze.

If Nino didn't like looking at camels, why had Daiki taken her to see camels in the desert?

And the swinging, orange picking, and tropical rainforest plants... None of these were things Nino liked — they were all things that she, Yotsuba, liked.

'Wait... when Daiki-kun said he loved all... could it be... yes... since he loves Nino... he must have known it wasn't her... But... how did he know my hobbies?!'

Her fair face instantly turned bright red, both from the embarrassment of having her disguise exposed twice and from some indescribable emotions.

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T/N: If you want more chapters like this, check out my Patreon! Take a look at my other translations too, you might like them!

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